Leprosy and elephantiasis: New cases could be prevented in 10 years

The life chances of over one billion people could be improved through examining the transmission of nine neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), an international consortium of researchers has argued. Leprosy and elephantiasis are among nine tropical diseases targeted. Neglected tropical diseases affect over one billion people worldwide. Leprosy is caused by infection with Mycobacterium leprae. Because the times between infection, onset of disease and diagnosis are long and variable, the numbers of cases in 2013 is a mixture of people who were mostly infected from 1995-2010. This means that there are a large number of people who are already infected, and will develop leprosy in the future -- a hidden iceberg of disease.